And barbecue is readily available at multiple restaurants in Kansas City International Airport (MCI), which opened a snazzy new terminal in 2023.
One of the places is the airport’s 8,000-square-foot Made for KC BBQ Experience restaurant on Concourse B, which is operated for 18 months at a time by the winners of an ongoing barbecue contest created just for this purpose by airport concession operators and the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS).
Meat Rushmore of Lee’s Summit, MO, the winner of the third annual Made for Kansas City BBQ Championship, moved into the space on September 5 with an official passing of the barbecue trophy from the most recent competition winners, O.G. Bandits.
The menu will now feature Meat Rushmore’s award-winning recipes for Cubano tacos, the KC Gobbler, and burnt ends.
It’s not just KCI passengers who can give Meat Rushmore’s – and all the airport’s offerings – a try.
Kansas City International Airport welcomes non-ticketed guests into the terminal through the MCI Guest Pass program.
Thousands of Taylor Swift fans, known as “Swifties,” will be flying into San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) this week on their way to Levi’s Stadium, where Swift will be performing on July 28 and 29 as part of her Eras Tour.
The airport is ready with friendship bracelets for trading and SJC goodies for sharing on Thursday, 7/27, in the Terminal B bag claim around 4 pm, while supplies last.
HI #SWIFTIES! We made the friendship bracelets 🥹 🫶
— San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) (@FlySJC) July 27, 2023
Summer Lit Fest at Kansas City International Airport
Here’s a great idea that would be great to see at every airport:
Kansas City International Airport (MCI) is hosting a Summer Lit Fest with a pop-up event that will feature readings and book signings by Kansas City authors.
The event will take place on Friday, July 28th, from 11 am to 2 pm, at the post-security Turn the Page KC store.
Here are the authors participating:
Former Kansas City Mayor Sly James will discuss and sign “Mayor Sly and the Magic Bow Tie” written by Aja James and Audrey Masoner;
Jim “Stinky Feet” Cosgrove, author of “Bop Bop Dinosaur” and “Sullen Sally”;
Chris Meggs, author of “Twas the Night Before Tipoff” and “Go Chiefs Go”;
Julie Snodgrass, author of “The Search for your Best Furever Friend” and “Puppies on Parade”;
Christle Reed – “I Can be me in KC;” and
Crystal Everett – “Mommy and Mari Move It.”
Astronaut band to perform at Seattle’s Museum of Flight
Bandella, a band made up of five former astronauts and guest artists, lands for two shows at Seattle’s Museum of Flight on July 29.
Bandella includes Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who performed a solo performance video of David Bowie’s Space Oddity while floating in the space station. The four other astronaut artists include Cady Coleman, Dan Burbank, Ken Cockrell, and Steve Robinson, with Micki Pettit as the lead singer.
The concert will blend music with stories from space, plus a Q&A with the audience.
When the new 1-million-square-foot terminal at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) officially opens on February 28, $5.6 million in newly commissioned art will be on display.
The 33-foot-long cabin was once used to train Delta’s in-flight teams in Atlanta and includes a (nonworking) lavatory and 42 standard coach seats from a retired Boeing 737.
Delta shipped the cabin in pieces to the Minneapolis airport, where it was reassembled in an unused retail space. Airport carpenters added cutouts so that every row has a window, and local youth artists painted the cabin and the surrounding walls with blue skies and landscape to make it sensory-friendly.
Kansas City International Airport (MCI) Has a Mock Cabin Too
When it opens to the public on February 28, the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) will also have a mock airplane cabin. Like the one at MSP, this one is designed to help ease the fears and anxieties of first-time fliers, children, and those with special needs. That includes those with sensory issues, autism spectrum disorders, auditory and visual disabilities, and more.
Called the Kansas City Air Travel Experience and located just past security in the Concourse A Concessions Atrium, this mock airplane cabin is part of a decommissioned Airbus A321 and includes seats, windows, overhead bins, and other true-to-life aircraft parts.
“Passengers” who book a mock airplane flight go through all the steps of a real flight. That includes checking in at a kiosk that is like one being used at the airport and receiving a boarding pass to show at the ‘gate.’
They then enter a ‘jet bridge’ with floor-to-ceiling wall graphics that mimic the glass jetways of the new terminal.
Once on the mock plane, passengers have a 15-minute ‘flight’ experience that covers boarding, the safety demonstration, taxi and takeoff, cruising, landing, and deplaning.
To make it feel as real as possible, a video simulation created by Kansas City-based Dimensional Innovations plays outside the cabin windows while ambient audio plays inside the cabin.
Here’s a video that shows what the experience is like.
Stuck at the Airport and more than 600 Kansas City area residents participated in a simulation test at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) on Tuesday.
The modern $1.5 billion new single terminal officially begins operating on February 28, 2023, and will replace a trio of 50-year-old terminals scheduled to host their last flights on the evening of February 27.
Here are some snaps and observations from our visit.
The test passengers, all volunteers, had a variety of itineraries and were ta. sked with going through the steps of a trip. That included parking in the new 6,100-space parking garage, checking in at the counter, dropping off baggage, finding their gates, and heading to the baggage claim to retrieve luggage.
Area resident and test volunteer Barb Schulte received a “ticket” that had her flying from Kansas City to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She was instructed to bring an oversized bag that weighed at least 20 pounds and had filled her bag with magazines, an afghan, and a pair of winter boots.
The 16-lane central TSA checkpoint area is still being completed, so travelers didn’t have to go through the security checkpoint experience. Shops, bars, and restaurants are not yet open, either, but the volunteers could see that branches of many familiar local brands will be represented.
Travelers also got a first look at amenities that will be available to ticketed passengers, including $5.65 million worth of public art, all-gender restrooms, a sensory room, indoor and outdoor pet relief areas, all-glass jet bridges, an inclusive play zone, and more.
KCI’s commitment to inclusiveness includes gender-specific and all-gender restrooms (all with red light/green signals on the stalls to let users know what’s open) as well as 15 family restrooms and restrooms with both child and adult-sized changing tables.
Chairs and work tables throughout the airport include plenty of power ports. And we are pleased to see that the high work tables are equipped with wireless charging spots.
Most test travelers we spoke with were, like us, impressed with all the natural light, the wide-open corridors, the increased seating, and all the amenities the new terminal will deliver.
Airport officials will be reviewing the feedback testers share in online surveys in advance of the February 28 official opening. But right away it was clear that easy-to-fix issues such as larger and increased directional signage would be helpful in some areas.
We’re looking forward to returning in a few weeks when the shops and restaurants are open, when the first in-airport barbecue smokers are in use, when the live music stages are operating, and when thousands of passengers are taking off and returning from adventures.
And we’re looking forward to learning more details about the gate-pass program for non-travelers that will be rolled out by the end of the year.
For now, the City of Fountains is definitely ready to wow with a brand new airport terminal.
(Stay tuned for more stories from our pre-opening visit).
This is Kansas City’s moment. Not only did the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII, but on February 28 the city will celebrate the long-awaited opening of a brand-new airport terminal.
Big news, Kansas City! The New Terminal at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) will open February 28, 2023! The 50-year-old terminals will see their last flights/passengers February 27. Aircraft and equipment move overnight for first flights on the 28th. pic.twitter.com/ZvrVqKV0PU
— Kansas City International Airport (@Fly_KansasCity) January 30, 2023
The new 1-million-square-foot, $1.5 billion single Kansas City International Airport (MCI) terminal will be one of the most inclusive in the U.S. and will include $5.6 million in commissioned art.
Dining options will include many unique to the region and there will be stages for live music
In addition to more than 6,000 parking spaces, there will be 15 family restrooms, 10 infant feeding rooms, a family play zone, and 39 all-glass passenger jet bridges – the most glass jet bridges at any US airport.
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As you may imagine, there are a lot of details to attend to before the official switchover from the 50-year-old terminal to the brand-new one.
And one of those details involves testing the usability of the terminal for passengers.
So on February 14 – Valentine’s Day -hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people who volunteered back in January and ‘won’ a test-day ticket will show up at the new KCI terminal to participate in a simulated travel day.
The Stuck at The Airport terminal testing team will be there too. Because we love airports. And because we especially love new airport terminals.
We’ll share notes and images on social media during the test day but will include a full report about what we see here.
And, oh yeah, we’ll also be in town for the parade and other festivities for the new Super Bowl winners.
KCI reports that over the weekend several hand sanitizer dispensers were ripped off the walls in airport restrooms.
It’s unfortunate that several hand sanitizer dispensers were ripped off walls in our rest rooms. We can’t replace them. We’re doing all we can for public health, despite this act. We have plenty of soap & paper towel dispensers intact & there are other hand sanitizer dispensers. pic.twitter.com/kUsLqzc4wh
— Kansas City International Airport (@Fly_KansasCity) March 22, 2020
As you may imagine, wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispensers are in high demand right now and are sold out almost everywhere.
“We are not able to purchase any more for months,” KCI Airport explains on its Facebook page.
KCI says it’s doing all it can to protect the health of its customers, “but this act makes that difficult.”
Right now the airport can only get hand sanitizer in dispenser bags. And if it transfers that hand sanitizer into bottles, the airport knows it’s likely those bottles would disappear too.
Airport officials say they’re reviewing the surveillance footage outside the restrooms. But for not, KCI reminds travelers that it has “plenty of soap and paper towel dispensers intact, and there are still hand sanitizer dispensers in most restrooms.”
Earlier this month, in a note outlining its efforts to address COVID-19, Kansas City Aviation said its custodial team had stepped up cleaning and disinfecting efforts in restrooms and public areas.
“Throughout the day, they are checking and refilling soap, paper towel and hand sanitizer dispensers,” KCI officials said. “Airlines, concessionaires and other tenants have increased cleaning efforts in their areas, including post-security. Flyers are posted in restrooms, a Health Department educational video is running on flight information displays and CNN Airport Channel is running a video on its monitors.”
The “Stay at Home” order does NOT include airports as they are “Essential Infrastructure”. Essential employees are allowed to commute to/from work plus people driving to/from the airport for essential travel or to transport air travelers. @BuildKCI New Terminal is essential. https://t.co/EbL2iF9gVP
— Kansas City International Airport (@Fly_KansasCity) March 22, 2020
Kansas City is well-known for its tangy barbecue, its jazz and blues history and its more than 200 fountains, some of which date back to the days when horses were said to outnumber people in the city.
“The American Humane Society began putting water troughs at every corner to keep the horses hydrated and, over time, the fountains became more ornate and more popular,” said Derek Klaus of Visit KC. “Now the City of Fountains Foundation maintains a database of more than 215 local fountains.”
Today, the City of Fountains is cosmopolitan, yet authentic. While $10 billion worth of investment has been poured into the region, this city of more than 2 million people still treasures its easy-going Midwestern vibe.
“Kansas City is at the heart of American creativity — a home for arts, culture and innovation,” said Tim Cowden, CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council.
As the home to major companies such as Garmin, Sprint, H&R Block, Cerner, Hallmark Cards and Russell Stover Chocolates, plenty of business travelers find themselves swinging through the city for work.
“Visiting business travelers are always impressed by our thriving downtown, which includes a streetcar, galleries and dining options ranging from world-class BBQ at Jack Stack to cocktails at the Monarch Bar and whiskey tasting at the J. Rieger Distillery,” Cowden said.
If you’re in town for a business trip with just a few hours to spare, we’ve gathered some tips to help you make the most of your off-duty hours.
Downtown Kansas C
If a downtown meeting wraps up early, head over to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which is a
short walk or Uber ride from the Plaza (officially, Country Club Plaza), a
15-block shopping, dining and entertainment district dotted with fountains.
Admission is free to the museum’s permanent
collection and many of its temporary exhibitions, so it’s easy to stop in for a
short tour of some of the museum’s vast holdings. For a quick bite, the museum
has a restaurant and coffee shop and is open on Thursdays and Fridays until 9
p.m. There’s even a happy hour on Thursday evenings starting at 5 p.m.
Back on the Plaza you
can take care of that age-old question: “What did you bring me?”
The Made in KC Marketplace on the Plaza carries work by more than 200
area artists, designers and makers and has both a cafe and a bar.
And since you’re in Kansas City, you might want
to tuck into some world-class Kansas City barbecue, known for the thick, rich
tomato sauce lathered on during and after the cooking process.
“We slow-smoke our barbecue for
several hours—sometimes up to 18—for that ‘low and slow’ Kansas City
technique,” said Derek Klaus of Visit KC
One of five branches of Fiorella’s Jack Stack
Barbecue is on the Plaza as well. And if that’s
not enough barbecue for you, the KC BBQ Experience app
leads you to 100 more BBQ spots around town to explore between meetings.
If you haven’t changed out of your business
attire and fancy an after-meeting cocktail in an opulent setting, stop into The
Monarch Cocktail Bar & Lounge, in the West Plaza district where the drinks
take their inspiration from the flight paths of the Monarch butterfly.
For example, many cocktails celebrating the Monarch’s
journey from Canada through the U.S. Midwest and into Mexico pair whiskeys and
rums with citrus and fresh fruits.
Jazz and baseball history – plus a great
selfie spot
Kansas City’s downtown 18th and
Vine historic district is home to both the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum,
and they are conveniently co-located in the same building.
The American Jazz Museum has listening stations and displays
memorabilia and personal items that tell the stories of jazz legends. Don’t
miss a rare treasure: Charlie Parker’s Grafton saxophone.
The museum’s Blue Room Jazz Club hosts live
music four times a week, with several early shows that shouldn’t interfere with
those morning meetings.
The Negro Leagues
Baseball Museum features photographs, historical artifacts and interactive
computer stations that document the story of the players and the teams from
after the Civil War through to the 1960s. A mock baseball diamond with 10
life-size sculptures of the league’s greats is a popular centerpiece exhibit.
Two blocks away is the Paseo YMCA, the
founding site of the Negro Baseball Leagues in 1920. The building is on the
National Register of Historic Places and outside there’s now a small baseball
diamond where you can run the bases and take a photo in front of a large mural
portraying Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neil and other Negro Leagues
players who also played in the major leagues.
Wonders from down under
If you’ve finished your meetings and have a
late afternoon or early evening flight, try one of these bonus attractions
located not far from downtown.
The KC Streetcar is free to ride and will take
you from downtown to the historic River Market area, and its year-round weekend
farmers’ market.
The River Market is also home to the Arabia Steamboat Museum, which houses the world’s largest collection of pre-Civil War artifacts.
The fully loaded Steamboat Arabia sank on the Missouri River in September 1856. The steamer lay beneath the water for decades. But with erosion, the river chaged course and a century later, the Arabia and its 60 tons of still-intact cargo was dug up from beneath a Kansas cornfield in 1988. The recovered treasure is on display. It includes everything from dishware and fine jewelry to guns, toys and still edible food.
For history with a twist, Uber over to the J.
Rieger & Co. in the East Bottoms neighborhood, which celebrates the
resurrection of a local distillery with roots dating back to 1887.
In addition to daily distillery tours (samples
included), the site houses The Monogram Lounge (cocktails, coffee and small
plates) and the swank Hey! Hey! Club.
Bonus: Anyone is welcome to take a ride on the
40-foot indoor slide.
A few bonus items:
I ran out of room in the CNBC story for two other Kansas City treasures.
The toy side is home to one of the country’s largest collection of antique toys.
The miniatures side of the museum is filled with the world’s largest collection of fine scale miniatures. They may look like toy-sized, but they are highly crafted works of art that are not for children at all.
It’s getting a much-needed new terminal and has promised it will be ready to welcome everyone who will visit the city when it hosts the 2023 NFL Draft.
In the meantime, the coolest amenities you’ll find at KCI are the SouveNEAR vending machines filled with gifts, souvenirs and unusual items made by Kansas City artists. So there’s no excuse to go arrive home empty-handed.
To enter: make a short video (three minutes or less) showing what you like best about that airport.
The airport will choose five finalists and post those videos on the airport’s YouTube channel for public voting.
The grand prize is a free trip to Orlando or Tampa. Two runners-up will receive flip camcorders. Entries must be uploaded by midnight on December 1. Official contest rules are posted at www.indcontest.com.
Las Vegas International Airport’s Korean Air ticket giveaway ends Dec. 8th, 2010 around noon Pacific time, so you still have about a week to enter your name for a chance to win one of two pair of round-trip tickets between Las Vegas and Seoul.
The Observation Deck at the top of the Theme Building, which has been closed since 9/11, will finally re-open to the public this Saturday.
(A view of the old version of the observation deck; courtesy LAX. New version: under wraps!)
There will be a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday morning (June 21, 2010) but the official public hours of the deck will be Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Go take a look through the new telescopes and enjoy the view!
Orlando Airport getting Google-ized?
According to this story in the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando International Airport (MCO) is in discussion with Google for a two-year deal in which Google would pay the airport more than $100,000 a year to sponsor the existing (free) airport Wi-Fi and provide a variety of other amenities, including free Internet kiosks for passengers traveling without laptops and phone booths at the international gates offering free long distance calling.
Sounds like Google is talking to other airports about this same sort of ‘experiment,’ but no word yet on where.
And this sounds like fun:
(courtesy Hot Rod)
This Saturday (June 19th, 2010) Kansas City International Airport will be hosting its fourth KCI Cruise. Not a sailing ship cruise, but the sort of cruise where hundreds – in this case up to 500 – owners of classic, muscle and special-interest automobiles gather in a parking lot to show off their cool cars.
The event runs from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. (weather permitting; wouldn’t want anything to happen to those cars!) and money raised from the sales of donated food and prizes will go to area charities. The prizes are nothing to sneeze at. They’ll be giving away Frontier Airlines tickets, Chiefs and Royals tickets, Justin Bieber concert tickets (!), hotel stays and more. For more details and for directions to the event, see the KCI Cruise page on the Kansas City International Airport website.
